Airbus is continuing weekly flight tests with its CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL prototype aircraft almost three months after the company’s January 28 announcement that it will not proceed with a commercial launch of the four-seat model. The aircraft has been moved from Airbus Helicopters’ Donauwörth facility in Germany, and although the European aerospace group has declined to reveal the location of flight testing that will be completed this year, it is likely now based at the nearby Airbus Defense and Space facility in Manching.
During a press briefing in early March, Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even told reporters that the company still has a long-term belief in the viability of eVTOL aircraft, but has concluded that available battery technology will not support the required range and payload performance until the 2030s. Emphasizing Airbus’ philosophy of delivering “the right product at the right time,” he concluded that current technology would not be sufficient for the company’s ambitions for the advanced air mobility sector.
Airbus has also expressed concern that the regulatory landscape for early market entry of viable eVTOL aircraft is not as far along as it needs to be. This too has prompted the company to play the long game in the much-hyped sector, with Even concluding, “When we invest too much too early, it’s not necessarily the right decision.”
Four years ago, when the CityAirbus NextGen project was initiated, the target had been to fly a prototype in 2024 and be ready for a commercial launch in 2026, offering a range of up to 80 kilometers (43 nm). However, despite meeting the first objective, a strategic review prompted an honest evaluation of the program’s prospects by Airbus, where engineers from across the group have contributed to development work.
“The conditions for launch, and in particular the technology, and the performance we project for the battery in the coming years, will not, from my perspective, allow [us] to deliver the minimum level of performance we need,” Even explained. He added that while both regulatory structures and business models for eVTOL aircraft are progressing, this is not being achieved at the speed the industry has expected.
Nonetheless, Airbus expects to learn a lot as it completes the flight test campaign for CityAirbus NextGen during the remaining months of 2025. “We are doing the flight test program we usually do on all our flying objects,” confirmed Stefan Thomé, executive vice president of Airbus Helicopters. He said that the remaining flights will focus on test points for stability, controllability, maneuverability, flight control systems, energy management, and performance.
According to Even, Airbus retains faith in the multicopter configuration of the CityAirbus NextGen model, which he said has only been held back by battery performance.